Bomber Report – Winnipeg Free Press

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Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Trey Vaval set a franchise record in September when he returned a 128-yard missed field goal for a touchdown against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Bombers’ Vaval named Most Outstanding Rookie, Special Teams Player finalist

Taylor Allen 2 minute read 1:11 PM CDT

The accolades continue to pour in for Trey Vaval.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers return specialist was named the West Division’s representative for both the Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player awards on Thursday.

Toronto Argonauts kicker Lirim Hajrullahu (special teams) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker Devin Veresuk (rookie) are the finalists coming out of the East Division.

Vaval led the CFL in punt returns (75), punt return yards (957), missed field goal return yards (391), and return touchdowns (two on kickoffs, one via punt, and one missed field goal return). He also made four starts at cornerback this season where he recorded 21 defensive tackles and picked off a pass against Montreal on Aug. 21.

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Bombers’ D ready to make a difference

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Bombers’ D ready to make a difference

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025

You see it in hockey all the time when a hot goalie steals a playoff series.

What about football, can a stout defence do something similar at the most important time of year?

“Oh, guaranteed. We feel like we can change the game,” said Blue Bombers linebacker Tony Jones after Tuesday’s practice at Princess Auto Stadium.

“We got the guys to go out there and force a fumble or get an interception. We just feel as a defence we can get the ball back a lot more times to our offence to go help them get more points if they are struggling.”

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Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025

Ruth Bonneville / Free Press
Tony Jones says the Bombers defence can change a game.

Bombers embracing dark horse role in post-season

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Bombers embracing dark horse role in post-season

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are well aware history isn’t on their side.

There’s been 12 crossover teams in CFL history dating back to 1997 and none have made it to the Grey Cup, let alone win it.

The Blue and Gold (10-8) are hoping No. 13 proves to be lucky as their fourth-place finish in the West Division sends them to Montreal on Saturday for the Eastern semifinal (1 p.m. CT kickoff) against the Alouettes (10-8).

“I find that very intriguing and very motivating for us to be the first,” said running back Brady Oliveira after Tuesday’s practice.

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Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025

Ruth Bonneville / FREE PRESS
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are anything but the average underdog in this year’s playoffs, with five straight Grey Cup appearances under their belt.

Survey says… Bombers O-lineman appears on Family Feud

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Survey says… Bombers O-lineman appears on Family Feud

Taylor Allen 4 minute read Friday, Oct. 24, 2025

What’s more nerve-wracking: playing pro football in front of 30,000-plus fans or being put on the spot by Steve Harvey on one of television’s most iconic game shows?

That’s a question only Blue Bombers offensive lineman Asotui Eli can answer.

Eli and his wife Tiana’s family participated in Family Feud in February and their two episodes finally aired earlier this week.

“It’s a different kind of atmosphere, but I’d say they’re similar. I’d say Family Feud challenged me a little more mentally,” said Eli following Friday’s walkthrough.

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Friday, Oct. 24, 2025

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Bombers offensive lineman Tui Eli (left) recently appeared on an episode of Family Feud with Steve Harvey.

Humble Holm deflects defensive accolades

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Humble Holm deflects defensive accolades

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025

It pained Evan Holm to be in the spotlight over a personal accolade.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers unveiled their team award winners early Wednesday and the fourth-year defensive back was voted the Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the first time in his career.

Votes are cast by four local members of the Football Reporters of Canada and head coach Mike O’Shea.

“I’m not the biggest fan of media and cameras and stuff,” said Holm while speaking to reporters after Wednesday’s closed practice.

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Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025

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Evan Holm was named the Blue Bombers defensive player of the year on Wednesday.

A lot on the line in CFL’s final week

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A lot on the line in CFL’s final week

Jeff Hamilton 7 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025

With only one week left in the CFL regular season, there’s still plenty to figure out before the playoffs begin.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are the only club in the league that heads into Week 21 knowing its fate. At 12-5, win or lose this week, the Riders will finish with the league’s best record and atop the West Division.

We already know the other five teams joining Saskatchewan in the post-season, but we don’t know where they’ll end up. That includes figuring out which West team will be crossing over to the East Division.

While there are several different ways this weekend could unfold, it’s best to start with the teams that control their own destiny.

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Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025

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Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo was key to the Elks turnaround this season.

Demski expected to be ready for playoffs

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Demski expected to be ready for playoffs

Taylor Allen 2 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are expecting a much-needed boost for the post-season.

Head coach Mike O’Shea revealed to reporters after Tuesday’s practice that the team anticipates star receiver Nic Demski (hamstring) will be ready to go two weeks from now when they’re on the road for the West or East semifinal.

Demski pulled up lame on a deep pass attempt in Oct. 11’s 25-20 loss in Edmonton and went on to miss last week’s 17-16 win over Saskatchewan.

O’Shea said Demski, who has been a non-participant at practice this week, won’t play in Saturday’s regular season finale against Montreal.

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Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025

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The Winnipeg Blue Bombers anticipate injured receiver Nic Demski will be able to play in two weeks time when the team is playing in the division semifinal.

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Bombers ready to dig deep in pursuit of sixth consecutive Grey Cup appearance

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Bombers ready to dig deep in pursuit of sixth consecutive Grey Cup appearance

Jeff Hamilton 6 minute read Monday, Oct. 20, 2025

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers know better than any team in the CFL what it takes at this time of year to make it to the Grey Cup.

The Bombers have set the standard for consistency in recent years, appearing in the championship game the last five seasons and hoisting the trophy twice. As they chase a sixth consecutive Grey Cup appearance, the Blue and Gold have been anything but their usual selves; their struggling play this year is leading to more questions than answers.

The biggest question: Can the Bombers flip the switch in time to make a serious push for the Grey Cup, a game that is happening in their own backyard?

“We still have time,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said following Monday’s rain-filled practice. “There’s enough time.”

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Monday, Oct. 20, 2025

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Winnipeg QB Zach Collaros (right) hands off to Brady Oliveira during the Bombers victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday.

Bombers avoid major upset as Castillo nails walk-off field goal against Roughriders’ second-stringers

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Bombers avoid major upset as Castillo nails walk-off field goal against Roughriders’ second-stringers

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Friday, Oct. 17, 2025

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers earned nothing in the way of style points but can say they got the job done.

The Bombers were presented with a rare gift by their prairie rival Saskatchewan Roughriders — who rested multiple starters on both sides of the ball and played their backup and third-string quarterbacks with the No. 1 seed in the West Division locked up. Despite the threat of a major upset for most of the contest, the Bombers found a way to capitalize on a golden opportunity in a 17-16 victory, in front of a 13th consecutive sellout crowd at Princess Auto Stadium on Friday.

The victory alone doesn’t secure Winnipeg’s seat in the CFL playoffs, but it does put the club in a prime position to reach the post-season for the ninth consecutive year. A loss by the Edmonton Elks — who, at the time of writing, were playing the B.C. Lions — or a win by the Calgary Stampeders (hosting the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday) would do the trick.

The Bombers (9-8) were plagued by a stagnant offence and several miscues for much of the game, but a 22-yard field goal by Sergio Castillo as time expired erased what was an otherwise unimpressive performance from the club.

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Friday, Oct. 17, 2025

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Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo (left) celebrates his game-winning field goal Friday against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

MGK to headline Grey Cup halftime show

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MGK to headline Grey Cup halftime show

Free Press staff 2 minute read Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025

The CFL announced Thursday night MGK will headline the 112th Grey Cup halftime show. Along with the halftime act, JUNO award-winning, Canadian alt-rockers Our Lady Peace was announced as the performers of the Grey Cup kickoff show and Niverille-native and Manitoba Country Music Award-winner Catie St. Germain as the national anthem singer.

MGK headlined last year’s NFL halftime show in Germany and is track don’t wait, run fast is currently a featured song for ESPN’s 2025-26 college football coverage.

It was previously announced that the headliner for the Grey Cup Festival, which runs from Nov. 10-16 in the leadup to the game, is Grammy and Country Music Award-winning Brad Paisley, who was recently inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Oct. 6. Paisley plays Canada Life Centre on Nov. 14.

The 112th Grey Cup will be played at Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 16, with kickoff at 5 p.m. CT. The game will air live across Canada on TSN, CTV and RDS. It will be available in the U.S. on CBS Sports Network, and internationally on the league’s free livestreaming platform, CFL+. A limited number of tickets are available at Ticketmaster.

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Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025

No shortage of characters on Blue Bombers offensive line

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No shortage of characters on Blue Bombers offensive line

Joshua Frey-Sam 10 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025

In the early days of the 2024 regular season, Chris Kolankowski was up to his old tricks.

Blue Bombers players are given crop tops to wear around the facility, and the team’s centre, known to be one of the pranksters of the locker room, decided to target quarterback Chris Streveler for an early-season gag.

Once a week, Kolankowski would trim a small piece of fabric off the bottom of the shirt. Slowly but surely, the crop top, which started at Streveler’s stomach, ended up only covering his chest by Week 4.

“He was like, ‘Man, this must be shrinking in the dryer and it was just me. Every week, I just stayed a little later and I’d cut an inch all the way around,” Kolankowski said through a few laughs.

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Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025

NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS files
Bombers centre Chris Kolankowski is well-known for playing pranks on his teammates.

Regular season coming down to the wire

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Regular season coming down to the wire

Jeff Hamilton 8 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025

Will the Winnipeg Blue Bombers make the playoffs this year?

It’s a question that would have been laughable at the start of the 2025 CFL season, and would have been met with a similar sense of disbelief even a week ago.

But with just two weeks remaining in the regular-season schedule, the Bombers have not yet punched their ticket to the post-season. They had the chance this past weekend, only to fall to the Edmonton Elks in a game they deserved to lose.

The loss couldn’t have come against a worse team, as it’s the Elks nipping at the Bombers’ heels. Edmonton looked completely out of the playoff picture just a month ago, but back-to-back wins have given them a shred of hope.

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Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025

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The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are still in control of punching their ticket to the post-season, owning the series tiebreaker over the Edmonton Elks.

Papa Demski to suit up against Elks

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Papa Demski to suit up against Elks

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Friday, Oct. 10, 2025

EDMONTON — Nic Demski better sleep like a baby on this road trip.

Now with a newborn son at home, catching ZZZs will be even harder than catching TDs for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver.

Demski and his fiancée Vanessa welcomed baby Cade into the world Wednesday night.

“This week was a whirlwhind,” said Demski, who didn’t practice with the team all week.

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Friday, Oct. 10, 2025

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Nic Demski will suit up for the club’s tilt against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday. Demski is four yards away from hitting his third straight 1000-yard campaign.

Vaughters’ style always in fashion

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Vaughters’ style always in fashion

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025

No one has ever mistaken the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ locker room for a fashion runway.

If anything, it’s the type of place where the fashion police would hand out citations left, right and centre to players for wearing flip flops, baggy gym shorts and compression shirts with the sleeves chopped off.

“We wear sweats to the game and we wear sweats when we travel. Everything’s actually really laid back here, which I think I kinda appreciate,” said first-year Bombers defensive end James Vaughters after Wednesday’s closed practice.

“It’s gotten so big in the NFL with the tunnel fits and travel fits and everything. I was into it, but being at the point of my career where I’m at, I just want to win and play well. I appreciate the focus that they have here.”

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Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025

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Bombers’ DE James Vaughters (centre) puts pressure on the Argos QB Nick Arbuckle.

Standings climb starts in Edmonton

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Standings climb starts in Edmonton

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers kept busy in different ways during their recent bye week.

Some took the opportunity to head home, while others stayed in town to get in some extra work and bond with teammates.

One thing they didn’t do, however, was stress over the playoff picture and all the uncertainty surrounding it.

“You start doing that you’ll get lost in it. There are too many scenarios,” said offensive co-ordinator Jason Hogan after Tuesday’s practice, their second day back from their final break.

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Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025

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Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira (20) said the club is embracing the underdog role this season after hosting the Western final the last four post-seasons.

Playoff implications top of mind in Bombers-Ticats clash

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Playoff implications top of mind in Bombers-Ticats clash

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Friday, Sep. 26, 2025

As the temperature dips (albeit, slightly around these parts) and leaves begin to change, one thing becomes paramount in the CFL: it’s time to start playing your best football.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7) will try to do so on Saturday afternoon when they host the best the East Division has to offer in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (9-5) at 2 p.m. CT.

To get you ready for kickoff, here’s the latest edition of 5 Storylines.

ZACH IS BACK

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Friday, Sep. 26, 2025

October 30, 2025

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